Self-closing container closure

ABSTRACT

A self-closing container closure, in particular for a filler neck of a fuel tank, includes a closure flap which can be pivoted in the direction of the interior of the filler neck about an axis of rotation counter to a spring force. An arm is attached to the inner side of the closure flap in an articulated manner and the arm yields counter to a restoring force.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a self-closing container closure, in particular for a filler neck of a fuel tank, with a closure flap which can be pivoted in the direction of the interior of the filler neck about an axis of rotation counter to a spring force.

So-called “capless” tank cap closures for fuel tanks which automatically open and close upon introduction or removal of a gas-pump nozzle, generally have a self-closing sealing flap actuated by a spring force. For example, Published European Patent Application No. EP 0 597 314 A1 describes a self-closing fuel tank closure, in which the spring force required is produced by a torsion spring on the inside. Located in the region of articulation is a pin which constitutes an axis of rotation and to which a supporting arm is connected which is oriented radially and carries a closure flap. A torsion spring is coiled around the pin and is supported, on the one hand, on the supporting arm and, on the other hand, on the inside wall of an inside pipe of the filler neck. When a gas-pump nozzle is introduced, the torsion spring is tensioned and, when the gas-pump nozzle is withdrawn, this torsion spring then moves the supporting arm and the closure flap back into the closed position.

Published, Non-Prosecuted German Patent Application No. DE 102 10 513 A1 describes a closure for fuel tanks, in which a sealing flap closing the passage opening is likewise mounted pivotably in a closure housing and closes the passage opening in a liquid-tight manner under the action of force of a spring. Here too, use is made of a support which is connected fixedly to a sealing flap and one end of which is mounted on a pivot axis. A torsion spring fastened in the region of the pivot axis is used as the spring.

Published, Non-Prosecuted German Patent Application No. DE 101 30 674 A1 describes a similar solution, a tank cap which can be placed releaseably onto a fuel tank being provided here with a closure flap which is mounted in the tank cap in a manner such that it can pivot open inward counter to the spring force, and the closure flap is prestressed in the closed position by a closing spring which likewise acts in the region of the rotary mounting, in a similar manner as in the case of the above described conventional solutions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a self-closing container closure, in particular for a filler neck of a fuel tank, which overcomes disadvantages of the heretofore-known self-closing container closures of this general type and which operates according to an alternative structural solution principle and provides a structurally simple and cost-effective solution, with the closing mechanism requiring little construction space when the closure flap is open.

With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a self-closing container closure, including:

-   a filler neck defining a filler neck inner space; -   a closure flap having an inner side, the closure flap having a pivot     axis and being configured to pivot toward the filler neck inner     space counter to a spring force; and -   an arm attached to the closure flap in an articulated manner on the     inner side of the closure flap, the arm being is configured to yield     in itself counter to a restoring force.

In other words, according to the invention, there is provided, a self-closing container closure, in particular for a filler neck of a fuel tank, with a closure flap which can be pivoted in the direction of the interior of the filler neck about an axis of rotation counter to a spring force, wherein an arm is attached to the closure flap in an articulated manner on the inside thereof and is configured to be yielding into itself counter to a restoring force, such as the arm being compressible or collapsible.

According to another feature of the invention, the arm is a telescopic arm.

According to yet another feature of the invention, the arm is a telescopic arm with at least two sections guided telescopically with respect to one another.

According to a further feature of the invention, the closure flap has a central region; and the arm has an end region and is attached, with the end region, in an articulated manner to the central region of the closure flap.

According to another feature of the invention, the arm has a given section and is attached, with the given section, in an articulated manner to the closure flap, and a compression spring acts on the given section of the arm.

According to another feature of the invention, the arm has a first section and is attached, with the first section, in an articulated manner to the closure flap, the first section of the arm has a stem; the arm has a second section with a cylindrical cavity formed therein, the cylindrical cavity defines an axial direction; and the first section of the arm is telescopically guided in the axial direction with the stem of the first section being guided in the cylindrical cavity of the second section of the arm when the closure flap pivots inward.

According to a further feature of the invention, the arm has at least three sections guided telescopically in one another.

According to another feature of the invention, the arm has an end portion facing away from the closure flap, and the end portion of the arm is pivotably mounted on the wall region.

According to another feature of the invention, the filler neck has a given width; and the pivot axis of the closure flap extends transverse across only part of the given width of the filler neck.

According to yet a further feature of the invention, the pivot axis of the closure flap extends transverse across only an outer portion of the given width of the filler neck.

According to another feature of the invention, the pivot axis of the closure flap includes two bearings disposed in a respective outer region of the filler neck inner space.

According to a further feature of the invention, the bearings include bearing bolts.

According to another feature of the invention, the arm includes at least two telescoping sections with respective stems having respective lengths; and a compression spring surrounds the stems at least over part of the respective lengths.

According to another feature of the invention, the compression spring concentrically surrounds the stems of the telescoping sections. According to a further feature of the invention, the arm has a section with an end portion facing the closure flap; and an abutment for the compression spring is provided at the end portion.

According to another feature of the invention, the abutment is a disk-shaped abutment or a plate-shaped abutment.

According to another feature of the invention, the filler neck is a fuel tank filler neck.

As mentioned above, the arm, which is attached to the closure flap in an articulated manner, is preferably configured to be telescopic. For this purpose, this arm may have, for example, at least two sections guided telescopically with respect to each other. In its one end region, this telescopic arm can be attached in an articulated manner approximately centrally to the closure flap. In its other end region, the telescopic arm is preferably supported on a wall region of the container closure and is in particular mounted pivotably there.

The spring force required for returning the closure flap into the closed position is preferably obtained via a compression spring, for example a compression spring which surrounds the stem of the telescopic arm, in particular a compression spring which preferably concentrically surrounds the stem of at least two telescopic sections of the arm at least over a partial length. The effect which can be achieved by the positioning of the telescopic arm is that, when the container closure is open, the arm requires only a small amount of construction space in the region below the filling opening of the tank neck. If there is a desire to further reduce the construction space, this can preferably be achieved by providing, instead of a continuous transverse axis, bearing bolts or pins or the like which are disposed in each case only in the outer region of the interior space of the filler neck and form the pivot axis for the closure flap. If a compression spring which surrounds the telescopic arm at least in some sections is used, then provision is preferably made for this compression spring to be supported at that end of a section of the arm which faces the closure flap, for example on a disk-shaped or plate-shaped abutment.

Due to the fact that the arm is mounted pivotably on the housing of the container closure, different angular positions of arm and housing arise and these in turn have an influence on the magnitude of the closing force. The closing force therefore does not run linearly or is the same size as in the embodiments with a torsion spring or leg spring. Instead of this, with the compression spring surrounding the telescopic arm, an effect arises similar to a toggle lever, i.e. the force is initially greater during the opening with a small opening angle of the closure flap than in the case of large opening angles. Upon closure, this effect can be observed in the corresponding reverse sequence.

Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.

Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a self-closing container closure, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.

The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatically simplified longitudinal sectional view of a self-closing container closure according to an embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatically simplified cross sectional view along the line II-II through the container closure of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first, particularly, to FIG. 1 thereof, there is shown a longitudinal section through a self-closing container closure according to the invention for a filler neck of a fuel tank for, for example, a motor vehicle. The upper region of the filler neck is shown, with the closure flap 11 in the closed position. The filler neck of the fuel tank includes an outer housing 14, within which the closure flap 11 is mounted pivotably about a pivot axis 15 a, which can be seen in particular in FIG. 2. In the closed position shown in FIG. 1, the closure flap 11 bears in a sealing manner against an abutment 18 of the filler neck.

As can also be seen from FIG. 1, a telescopic arm 13 is provided which has a section 13 c which faces the closure flap 11 and is connected to the lower side of the closure flap 11 in an articulated manner via a joint 19. The telescopic arm 13 includes a total of three sections which are connected telescopically to one another and are guided with respect to one another, to be precise, an uppermost, innermost, stem-like section 13 d, which is held concentrically by a tubular, second section 13 b and is guided within this section 13 b during the closing movement of the closure flap 11, which compresses the telescopic arm. A third, lowermost section 13 a of the telescopic arm is provided, which section is the widest in cross section and in turn concentrically holds the previously mentioned, central section 13 b, with the result that the section 13 b is guided in the section 13 a during the telescoping of the arm 13. At its end facing the housing and facing away from the closure flap, the telescopic arm is mounted pivotably in a wall region 17 of the container closure of the housing via an articulated connection 24. This connection can be, for example, a latching connection that is in itself pivotable. The arm 13 is therefore mounted in a manner such that it is telescopic and at the same time pivotable, with the result that, during the inward movement of the closure flap 11, the arm 13 likewise performs a pivoting movement about the axis of the joint 24 on which the lowermost part of the arm 13 is mounted in the wall region 17. On its section 13 c which faces the closure flap 11 and is attached to the closure flap 11 in an articulated manner, the telescopic arm has a disk-shaped or plate-shaped abutment 13 e for a compression spring 12 which concentrically surrounds the three telescopic sections 13 a, 13 b and 13 d on the outside and is supported at its one end on the abutment 13 e. At the other end, the compression spring 12 is supported on a collar 20 or the like of the telescopic arm.

If, during filling of fuel into the tank, the closure flap 11 is now pivoted inward about its axis 15 a, then the telescopic, pivotable arm 13 is compressed and carried along at the same time and likewise executes a pivoting movement about the axis of the joint 24 and, in the process, moves away to the outside from the central axis of the filler neck, in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 1, into the free housing space 21 provided there, with the result that the space 22 of the filler neck region that is required for the introduction of the nozzle device remains free.

FIG. 2 shows that a further advantage arises by the fact that, instead of a continuous transverse axis, as pivot axis 15 a for the closure flap 11 use is made of two bearing bolts 15 which are in each case situated in the outer region of the interior space of the filler neck, with the result that a free space 23 which is not impaired by an interfering or obstructing transverse axis remains between these two bearing bolts 15. FIG. 2 also shows the device for fastening the pivotable, telescopic arm 13 to the lower side of the closure flap 11, which device includes, for example, articulation tabs 16 or the like, to which the section 13 c of the arm 13 can then be fastened in an articulated manner.

This application claims the priority, under 35 U.S.C. § 119, of German patent application No. 10 2004 048 117.2, filed Oct. 2, 2004; the entire disclosure of the prior application is herewith incorporated by reference. 

1. A self-closing container closure, comprising: a filler neck defining a filler neck inner space; a closure flap having an inner side, said closure flap having a pivot axis and being configured to pivot toward the filler neck inner space counter to a spring force; and an arm attached to said closure flap in an articulated manner on said inner side of said closure flap, said arm being is configured to yield in itself counter to a restoring force.
 2. The self-closing container closure according to claim 1, wherein said arm is a telescopic arm.
 3. The self-closing container closure according to claim 1, wherein said arm is a telescopic arm with at least two sections guided telescopically with respect to one another.
 4. The self-closing container closure according to claim 1, wherein: said closure flap has a central region; and said arm has an end region and is attached, with said end region, in an articulated manner to said central region of said closure flap.
 5. The self-closing container closure according to claim 1, including: a compression spring; and said arm having a given section and being attached, with said given section, in an articulated manner to said closure flap, said compression spring acting on said given section of said arm.
 6. The self-closing container closure according to claim 1, wherein: said arm has a first section and is attached, with said first section, in an articulated manner to said closure flap, said first section of said arm has a stem; said arm has a second section with a cylindrical cavity formed therein, said cylindrical cavity defines an axial direction; and said first section of said arm is telescopically guided in the axial direction with said stem of said first section being guided in said cylindrical cavity of said second section of said arm when said closure flap pivots inward.
 7. The self-closing container closure according to claim 1, wherein said arm has at least three sections guided telescopically in one another.
 8. The self-closing container closure according to claim 1, including: a wall region; and said arm having an end portion facing away from said closure flap, said end portion of said arm being pivotably mounted on said wall region.
 9. The self-closing container closure according to claim 1, wherein: said filler neck has a given width; and said pivot axis of said closure flap extends transverse across only part of said given width of said filler neck.
 10. The self-closing container closure according to claim 1, wherein: said filler neck has a given width; and said pivot axis of said closure flap extends transverse across only an outer portion of said given width of said filler neck.
 11. The self-closing container closure according to claim 1, wherein said pivot axis of said closure flap includes two bearings disposed in a respective outer region of said filler neck inner space.
 12. The self-closing container closure according to claim 11, wherein said bearings include bearing bolts.
 13. The self-closing container closure according claim 1, including: a compression spring; said arm including at least two telescoping sections with respective stems having respective lengths; and said compression spring surrounding said stems at least over part of said respective lengths.
 14. The self-closing container closure according claim 13, wherein said compression spring concentrically surrounds said stems of said telescoping sections.
 15. The self-closing container closure according to claim 13, wherein: said arm has a section with an end portion facing said closure flap; and an abutment for said compression spring is provided at said end portion.
 16. The self-closing container closure according to claim 15, wherein said abutment is one of a disk-shaped abutment and a plate-shaped abutment.
 17. The self-closing container closure according to claim 1, wherein said filler neck is a fuel tank filler neck. 